Irish Cream Cheesecake Cake

This is lighter than a conventional cheesecake but richer than a regular cake. I flavored this like Irish cream in honor of St. Patrick’s Day but I’m imagining all kinds of flavor combinations you could make with this. Blueberry cheesecake with lemon cake sounds especially good for my next try.

Irish Cream Cheesecake Cake

White “Mocha” Cake

1/3 cup coconut oil or Earth Balance margarine (I used a mix)

1 cup sugar

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup coffee

1/2 cup almond milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 F. Oil a 9-inch round or an 8-inch square pan.

Beat together the coconut oil or margarine and sugar with an electric mixer.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. With the mixer on the lowest speed, add half the flour mixture and the coffee and beat briefly on the lowest speed. Add the remaining flour mixture and almond milk. Beat on low until there are no more lumps in the batter. Don’t over beat. Stir in vanilla.

Transfer batter to the pan. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden and the top of the cake springs back when touched. Turn cake out of the pan and allow to cool before putting the cheesecake together.

Cheesecake layer:

1 (13.5-ounce) can full-fat coconut milk, refrigerated overnight

1 (8-ounce) tub Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese

1 (12.3 ounce) carton extra-firm silken tofu

1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar

1 teaspoon instant coffee granules

1 teaspoon cocoa powder

2 tablespoons Irish whiskey (optional)

Open the can of coconut milk without shaking the can and spoon off the solid coconut layer from the top. (The water that remains can be frozen and used later in curry or bread.) Transfer the coconut to a food processor. Add cream “cheese”, tofu, sugar, coffee granules, cocoa powder, and whiskey if using. Process until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the processor bowl once or twice.

Putting it together:

Crumble cake and press into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Spread the cheesecake layer evenly over the cake. Chill for several hours or overnight to firm the cheesecake layer.